After rumours surfaced earlier this year that popular Chinese director Zhang Yimou might have fathered seven children with four different women, the country's official newswire has revealed authorities are still looking to talk to the successful filmmaker and stage director.

As reported in the The Guardian, Xianhua cites a family planning official as stating "concerning the revelation that Zhang Yimou and [his wife] Chen Ting are suspected of violating family planning rules, population planning officials have highly prioritised the case." The authorities say they have yet to receive a satisfactory response.

The 'one-child' policy sees many parents restricted to only having a single child, in a government attempt to control the country's population growth. If found guilty, Yimou could be fined almost 160 million yuan (€20 million). Violators typically have to pay fines for breaches of the policy, although there have been frequent allegations of violent human rights abuses against poorer parents who fail to comply with the birth restrictions.

Yimou is one of the best known Chinese filmmakers outside his homeland, having achieved both critical and financial success with releases such as Raise the Red Lantern and Happy Together. He achieved particular international attention with his martial arts epics House of Flying Daggers and Hero, both noted for their colourful, elegant cinematography and balletic action.

Yimou's most recent film Flowers of War starred Christian Bale as an American priest caught in the city of Nanking during the Japanese massacre in the city. His popularity at home and abroad saw him given the opportunity to direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, along with co-director and choreographer Zhang Jigang.

Last week it was reported that Chinese authorities are loosening their infamous 'one-child' policy. The latest revision will see affected parents allowed to have more than one child if they're only children themselves.